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C’MON BOWSER LET THOSE BILLS MOVE! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT, A MAJORITY OF THE COUNCIL FAVORS JIM GRAHAM’S BILL TO REPEAL THE BURDENSOME EXTRA 2 PERCENT RENT PER YEAR TENANTS MUST PAY,

...AND SHE WON’T LET THOSE BILLS BUDGE, WITH HER COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM. SPREAD THE WORD, TENANT COMMUNITY! We want councilmembers and a mayor who will help, not harm rents and affordable housing. Come to TENAC’s General Election CANDIDATES FORUM, (Date TBA) and FIND OUT THEIR STANCE ON YOUR RENT AND RIGHTS!

BOWSER AND CATANIA’S DEAFENING SILENCE

ON “PLUS 2 PERCENT”

Forget about The Silence of the Lambs. The candidates aren’t lambs and it’s their silence that greatly bothers tenants all across the District. David Catania claims Muriel Bowser’s doing nothing for affordable housing as chairwoman of the committee responsible for it, and he’s right. This, however, from a man, who when asked for support for significant rent reform, responded, “Yes, if AOBA (the landlord-real estate lobby) says okay.”

Bowser, in turn, bottles up significant reform proposals in her committee, won’t budge, won’t meet with tenants, or even let her staff meet with tenants, despite pleas to the contrary. So while both Catania and Bowser shy away from commitment to rent control and to its most important component of all, repeal of the 2 percent outrageous add-on to the rent increase formula, enter Carol Schwartz, third major mayoral candidate, who gratefully breaks the silence and forthrightly promises sympathetic consideration of the proposal. Bravo for her!

Councilmember Jim Graham’s bill to repeal the onerous extra two percent tenants must pay in rent increases each year is crucial. Without it, your rent can double in ten years and almost triple in 20. Kudos and heartfelt thanks to Jim Graham, sponsor of the legislation. We urge all uncommitted councilmembers, including several endorsed by TENAC, to become cosponsors of this key legislation. It has a majority of the council willing to pass it, but Bowser won’t let it move out of her committee.

We remind all candidates, landlords and the public that the extra two-percent, added in 2007, would be revisited by all parties if became too burdensome. It has and it must go! Landlords reaped a fortune without the extra two percent for years. With it they reap a king’s ransom.

TENAC urges the candidates and public to attend our next Candidates Forum before the election (date to be announced).

If you live in a rental building, you need a tenants' association. If you need help forming one, TENAC stands ready to assist you through our tenant organization workshops, and through our on-site advice and counsel. Call our Hotline (202) 288-1921. Validate XHTML or CSS.